Fresh Toxin
by Lordrereland
Summary: A tale of the younger of two brothers; and his pain-filled life. The numerous fateful events will take a heavy toll on his mentality- Will he remain sane? Backstory to the protagonist of Antivenom, in an attempt to at least keep something submitted and to explain said character's mannerisms to an extent.


Fresh Toxin

ONESHOT

"Pain don't hurt"

SCOLIPEDE - THE "MEGAPEDE" POKEMON.

A VIOLENT BREED OF INSECTOID-SPECIES POKEMON, SCOLIPEDE'S ANGER AND WRATH KNOW NO BOUNDS. MANY ARE DANGEROUS AND EASY TO AGITATE, SIMPLY THE SIGHT OF ANOTHER POKEMON OR HUMAN MAY CAUSE IT TO GO INTO A PSYCHOPATHIC RAGE. WITH ITS HORNS, IT CHASES DOWN FOES AND RELENTLESSLY ATTACKS UNTIL IT PREVAILS. IT ALSO USES THE CLAWS ON ITS NECK TO STRANGLE AND SUPPRESS ITS PREY, THEN FINISHES IT OFF WITH DEADLY POISON.

TRAINERS MUST BE VERY SKILLED BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL A KILLING MACHINE OF THIS CALIBER, AND THE MOST VIOLENT KNOWN WILD SCOLIPEDE TAKE REFUGE IN THE DEEPEST RECESSES OF THE PINWHEEL FOREST.

"PUSH, Pandora! You've felt worse pain fighting stupid Human-controlled Pokemon than this, and you should already know how it feels with our first! Push!", Cerraton shouted, goading his mate.

His taunts were answered only by gagging and choking. Pandora, soon to be a mother to a second child, was once again going through the dangerous process of birth. The egg containing their hopes for a new, more powerful strain of Scolipede-family young was making its way out from its mothers throat. Should she fail in ejecting the egg, she will suffocate and die, along with her child.

"Pandora!"

Cerraton's calls to his partner continued to be met with desperate attempts to breathe. He watched as the large lump in her throat wobble and move, panicked for the sake of his second-born and love. Their first was already a few years old and was presently off "training" with other Pokemon in Pinwheel Forest.

Pandora lowered her neck into a downward slope, her eyes squinted shut and mouth open as wide as possible. It would be painful to remove her second- the egg was being particularly troublesome.

Yet...

Her persistence shown through. With a gag, then a pained scream, out came her egg at last- coated in saliva and her blood. The endeavor left her crumpled in a heap, panting with saliva mixed with blood dripping from her open, breath-gasping mouth.

Cerraton took no extra time in retrieving an Oran berry he had brought to stabilize Pandora. It wouldn't ease her pain any- but it would ultimately save her life. His love for her was an odd mixture- He both admired and admonished her choice in combat- Inflicting crippling amounts of poison to disable her foes whilst enduring her foes' attacks with her strong shell. He also loved her for her features... She was, to him, the sexiest female Scolipede he'd ever known from the few Venipede that even managed to survive the sheer amount of rookie trainers rampaging through Pinwheel.

The only place to hide was in the deeper depths of the forest; a place that humans had never found out about... At least, not yet. The longer it stayed that way, the better it was to the couple, and to whatever other species-of-Pinwheel that took refuge there.

"Alright, alright. Take a second to breathe, then chew. The pain'll go away after a while; you just have to relax," Cerraton coaxed, carefully feeding Pandora the Oran berry.

His words did little to soothe her. Pandora had gone through the process of laying an egg before, and it was no more comfortable the first time around. However, it was necessary. Both she and Cerraton agreed that their first born, Sinderack, was not performing very well. His physical weakness and ineptitude was proving to be very... difficult. The brutal training they put on him was not causing much improvement, much to their chagrin. The solution they deemed necessary was having a second, and hoping he- or she- would fare differently (and most certainly with the hope that the next child would very much outperform their first).

After feeding Pandora the Oran berry, Cerraton turned his gaze to the egg... before spitting on it with a light spray of Venoshock, washing it of bodily fluids. Fortunately, Scolipede young are born protected from poison, and their egg shells impervious to it as well. Cerraton sat down before the egg, looking down at it intently. It would only be a day or two of caring for it before it'd hatch... and for the child within to begin training alongside Sinderack.

Pandora panted, still worn from her endeavor. She had wanted to speak, but her throat was still extremely sore. All she resorted to doing was getting to her feet, and sitting beside Cerraton.

"Go to the stream and have a drink, Pandora. You've been through enough for one night. We'll start raising the kid tomorrow," Cerraton suggested.

With a loving nudge alongside to Cerraton's head, Pandora got up to get a long drink of fresh, cool water. It wouldn't help much, but it's better to not have a dry throat.

- ONE YEAR LATER...

It had been a long, painful and difficult first steps into life. Canderack, the second son to Cerraton and Pandora, had yet another day to suffer through of his parents' training- The brutality of it on par with flat-out abuse. Their tempers were a hair twitch away from going off each and every day- and that's when he wasn't being sent out to fight other Pokemon and facing the wrath of THEIR parents. At times, he'd sneak off when he was out of his parents' sight to find his older brother Sinderack lying amongst the flowers in a tiny meadow of the Pinwheel forest.

Flowers always seemed to puzzle Canderack- in a good way. He was always careful not to damage any, being one of the few sources of comfort in his life. Another being his brother whom had to live his life as harshly as he did. They had a tendency to stick together and enjoy the sunlight and beauty of the forest when they werent being watched. They usually weren't caught, but at times...

Canderack cuddled up against his brother, too young to speak yet. Sinderack returned his affection fondly, having a vast desire to truly be loved by someone. Most of the time the two never saw each other during the day. They usually had to suffer alone, but they cherished the moments they had together. They were the only family they really had- and had to stick together as much as they could.

Sinderack remained silent throughout their interactions either way. HIs parents had intimidated him into silence, for the most part. He would only talk to his brother, but even then his little brother couldn't reciprocate. It was a sad life, but it was still far more bright with someone to truly care about. Only once in a while, but still-

-Their time together would be cut short, as Cerraton had grown smart about their dallying. Having watched them hidden under the cover of trees, he had seen all that he needed to see. His rage boiled hotter and hotter with every passing second, watching them idle. Pandora was never really in charge of supervising them, so it was ultimately up to Cerraton to decide their punishment.

He had an ultimatum.

Out he came, frightening the two with a bellowing shout.

"Well LOOK who's decided to take their damn time sitting around like a couple wastes of fucking SPACE!", the infuriated father exploded.

The two brothers huddled closely, quaking in fear. They were caught, and they knew what happened when they were caught.

"This is the last time the both of you little shits have decided to sit around like a couple of pansies in this little meadow," Cerraton growled. "Sinderack, you've been doing fucking NOTHING but fail every which way, and I'm not gonna allow you to spread your WEAKNESS to your far more competent brother!"

The immense figure of their father approached the scared-witless brothers, only for Canderack to be separated from his sibling by his father's mighty leg; carefully pushing him aside.

"It's about time that your mom and I DISOWNED you, Sinderack. And I've got the honors," Cerraton growled once again, his face contorting into a morbid expression of glee.

Sinderack stared up in fear at his father, as he lifted his powerful leg. The young insect cuddled closely to the ground, eyes squinted shut, waiting for the inevitable. He couldn't outrun his fate.

Before his very eyes, Canderack's brother was to be dispatched-

CRUNCH!

CRUNCH!

Crunch...

... Squish.

It wasn't a sight Canderack wanted to behold any longer. His brother was the only thing he loved, and he had that taken away. His fear quickly became washed away by a tide of seething anger and violence. A complete disregard for his life and safety overtook his mind as he rampantly charged and attacked his father's legs- being the only thing he could reach.

All Cerraton could do was laugh, and smile.

"There there, kiddo. You're not some weak waste of space like Sinderack, and I see you've FINALLY decided to get angry. That's good... All you need to do to win is to keep attacking until you crush the sorry shit that has the bad day to be fighting you," Cerraton praised.

And so he picked up his rampaging, wriggling son and carried him off to unleash his rage to help him train.

The events of that day had left a permanent scar in Canderack's mind. His brother's corpse still lied in that same small patch of flowers- And thus he took care to value the memory of his brother in the form of a strong tie to beautiful flora. The very sight of them became a way to calm down his anger whenever his rage overtook him. It made him sad as well, unfortunately. From that day forward, he was to grow up without any kind of affection from family whatsoever.

All it would be from there was hatred, pain, and sorrow.

- FIVE YEARS LATER...

How he managed a grip on his sanity would be a mystery. The last five years were longer than ever now that he was alone in a hostile world. By now, Canderack had evolved into Whirlipede- a good few years before any 'Wild' Pokemon would. Rigorous training had left him with a powerful endurance, only to have it reinforced by a powerful and durable carapace that would serve to also be a coccoon. The day he evolved, his parents had shown their pleasure by allowing him a few days' reprieve from training.

Today was deemed to be the last day of his breaks. Today, he would take the time to reflect on what's happened in his own life- in no better a place than the small clearing that had changed his world forever.

All that was left of Sinderack was a skeletal frame, the natural world had broken down his corpse and left nothing but the bones- Some of which were broken. The visage would be one to haunt him for years to come, but the memories... The precious few times he had spent with his late brother were starting to slip from his mind. At the very core he remembered the love and warmth of his sibling's body and the silent words they had exchanged, acknowledging each other's pain and suffering. It was too good to have ever lasted for long. Yet, around the bones several new flowers had sprouted, almost as if caressing his carcass. The world had claimed his flesh but gave back something that he had admired.

The flowers would serve to be a symbol of his deceased brother. A newfound respect for a form of life completely different to his own... Canderack had declared to himself that he would never bring harm to the memory of his brother, of the one source of compassion in his bleak world. The flora would have his utmost respect- which would be a very odd thing for a species as aggressive as his own.

All he did was lie there, absorbing the differing scents and colors. It was all he needed to forget what was bad in the world... At least, for the time being. It'd be a paradise all too brief. The next day, he would have to go up against what he and his family were hiding from.

The humans.

They who bring in other Pokemon for the sake of making them stronger for their own blood sport. They used the young of the bugs of Pinwheel for getting their junior "trainers" more up to speed, and perhaps to abduct a few from their families to be taken as slaves for their amusement. It was all he had needed to know to despise something he had never seen for the handful of years he's been alive.

Of course, the source of information was his parents- Especially Cerraton. Humans were the best way to improve his fighting ability, as the Pokemon "owned" by "trainers" were usually experienced and understood different ways to approach differing opponents. Still, they had imbedded a hatred in him- only deepened further with accusations of Sinderack had chosen to carry a good opinion of their very enemies who sought to take him away.

This would only be yet another lie to fuel Canderack's rage. The one human that Sinderack had encountered was during a time where he had been injured immensely from battle, and a kind-hearted trainer had chosen to apply some potion to him.

Sinderack's choice of silence would leave Canderack blind to what truth there might be. He left his place of comfort, to return to his parents- to be sent out for an ultimate test.

Face off against a human- and win.

"We've spent at least six years raising you kiddo," Pandora began, "You've grown up so fast, and we both think you're finally ready."

"The humans have ran rampant through the path between their two towns for too damn long. It's time to prove you've got the sack to take the fight to the stupid-ass kids that waltz through Pinwheel like it's their turf. Your ma's gonna keep an eye on you for this one, just in case the brats think they're gonna take you away from us," Cerraton added.

All Canderack was allowed to do was to go along with it. He couldn't voice any opinion against it, not that it would help him either way. Sinderack was the one who could, and he knew where that got him. The key difference was that one was able to but chose not to, and the other was not able to outright.

Thus, Pandora guided Canderack from the deep recesses of Pinwheel Forest to thinner treelines, where more light was able to shine through. The glistening dews, varying shades of green and the colors of the occasional passing flower captivated his mind. The world he knew was so stygian and claustrophobic, the colors of the world were only visible in small patches- but here, where the treeline gave way to the sun, the world itself seemed far more bright- both figuratively and literally.

The treetops soon gave way to an open expanse of the sky. Shrubs grew in segmented patches, a river flowed nearby to provide refreshment to the local pokemon, and a cemented road crossed through the area over a pair of bridges- built over the river by civilization.

Pandora remained behind where the trees were in number, to conceal her appearance. This was where she would watch her second son, to watch him wait for- and fight- a rookie "trainer". All of their efforts really did culminate into what would ensue. They did all they could to desensitize him to pain, and to allow anger and bloodthirst to swallow his mind in the heat of combat to be relentless and absolutely cruel to whomever he was pointed at.

Thus did Canderack roll over to some shrubbery by the path, concealing himself as well in the natural flora. It was almost befitting, being a member of a more carnivorous and aggressive breed of pokemon. It wasn't unlike him to have lied in wait for an unsuspecting Sewaddle or Petilil- but the latter is more like a living salad, and far less appetizing. Still, he waited for his new prey: A human and their pokemon. There wasn't a hunt, only a test of patience.

And so, he lied in wait.

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Then, after perhaps an hour of sitting in one place and growing anxious, a human indeed come trodding along. A girl of 15 years, innocent and unaware of what was lying in wait for her.

Upon drawing close enough to his position, Canderack shot out of the shrubs and blocked her path forward, growling with vehement rancor. It gave the unfortunate trainer quite a scare, getting her to jump an shriek for an instant- before grabbing for the pokeballs on her belt. Selecting one, she threw it out at her attacker.

"Go, Pansear! This'll be a good chance to show your stuff, Whirlipede don't show up very often!", she called.

The dualcast red-and-white ball struck the ground and bounced upwards, opening and firing a red beam at the ground- the shape of a titular Pansear forming and materializing from what seemed like thin air. It was a marvel to watch for Canderack, having never interacted with humanity ever before in his life.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's get this show on the road! Good luck, guy!", the trainer's Pansear said, fired up- not that his trainer could understand.

Canderack recovered from being awestruck, and revved his carapace in place. Sparks flew as his claws scraped against the ground. He took the initiative, and started to attack with Rollout. Unfortunately, having given off such a huge tell, gave away his move to his opponent who leapt over his attack with ease. Canderack turned around, ready to swing back around for a second charge.

"Pansear, Incinerate!", the girl commanded.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's burn!", Pansear cheered, before spewing flames out of his mouth.

Canderack's training only taught him to never fear an opponent's attack- His choice in the matter was to barge through it with Rollout, running his opponent over. It wasn't enough to be the match ender, however. Even if both attacks had hit- and were very effective against their targets- the combatants were shaken but nowhere near ready to give in.

The vicious Whirlipede swung around for a third and final pass, as his opponent waited to receive orders.

"Meet it head-on with Fire Punch!"

"Yeah, alright! Fist of flaming fury!", Pansear piped up, charging towards Canderack with a blazing knuckle-sandwich.

... Despite the confidence he exhumed, the girls Pansear was not going to risk taking another hit by Rollout. This third pass would be all the more painful should it connect- hence, he played matador. Diving to safety at the last moment, he swung his Fire Punch- and really hit home.

The blow forced Canderack to roll onto his side, and be made vulnerable. Helplessly he struggled to right himself, wobbling back and forth. A sign of extreme weakness... He had already lost. He understood it, and waited for punishment. He waited to burn until he lost all feeling, and then he would wait to be taken back to the depths of the forest by his mother, and then to face punishments he may never be able to recover from.

He braced himself for unrelenting pain, starting with fire. He felt the very licks of flame against his shell, waiting to eat away at his very core.

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But it never came. The torture never came.

Instead, the girl had stepped over to his fallen body with a light-gray and purple bottle, and a translucent container filled with a green liquid. What was she going to do...?

"Now hold very, very still. This might sting just a little bit...", the girl warned.

Canderack stared up at her. The one eye he could see out of was wide with bewildered surprise. Was she going to inflict torture on him instead?

She lowered the green liquid-filled bottle, and sprayed it onto certain spots of his body- and she was right. It did sting. However, the licking pain of his burns started to leave him very quickly. He winced, but didn't have the time to anticipate the next spray. Again there was another sting, but the aches he had slowly drifted away to an odd mixed sensation- half numbness, and half... pleasure? Some sort of good feeling that Canderack couldn't identify. Perhaps relief?

The girl lifted Canderack upright, patting him gently. Her kindness confused him to no end, all he knew was that humans were sadistic and sought only to have Pokemon fight their own battles, and in some weird sport.

Her Pansear, still not yet back in his pokeball, spoke up;

"Tiffany's one of those humans that's a friend to all Pokemon, even the ones that might want to hurt her. You ask me though, guy, she's a little too nice and a little too gullible. Question is though, you really seemed fired up when I came out. What's that deal, huh?"

Canderack didn't answer. Not that he honestly could, either way. His gaze shifted between Tiffany and her Pansear. Confusion ran through his mind faster than a Liepard using agility. Why wasn't she going to stuff him into one of the small balls she had around her waist?

"Alright Pansear, time to go. We've got to get to Castelia City for the next gym!", Tiffany chirped gleefully, before returning her Pansear to its proper ball.

She looked back to Canderack for a minute, and adding: "Listen, I'm sorry I had to hurt you, but most Pokemon don't jump out so close to the road," as she crouched down. "Plus, Whirlipede aren't something you see every day near the road. You're from the deeper parts of the woods, aren't you?"

As soon as she mentioned the thicker groves, Canderack remembered Pandora was watching him. She most likely was seeing, and hearing, everything. His eyes widened as he understood his fate was sealed and had only one option as soon as the girl left.

He would flee as fast as he could.

His body shivered and quaked in fear, assuming his fate would be the same as his brother's. It caught Tiffany's attention very, very quickly- It troubled her. She'd only heard stories as to how strong- or scary- the pokemon in the recesses of Pinwheel were. She watched as the Whirlipede before her shook in fear. Was something hunting it?

She stood up to full height, and surveyed the area. Not that it would reveal very much, unfortunately. Nothing seemed unusual. Perhaps all that was wrong was that this Whirlipede was having a bit of a reaction to the medicine?

-At least that's what she thought, until two rampaging Scolipede came barreling out of the far treeline, straight for her- and most likely the Whirlipede she was with. It was all she could to sprint away from the wild Pokemon, and its assumed parents, to a place to remain hidden and watch what happens.

Canderack remained frozen in place, unwilling to turn to meet his maker. There was nothing he could do to change his fate.

"What's this I hear about you getting help from a HUMAN!?", Cerraton bellowed in an otherworldly rage. "The humans are your ENEMY!"

Canderack didn't turn. He remained where he was, shaking.

"Seems I gave too many chances to Sinderack being with you, the bitch! He's gone and made you soft! All these years your mother and I have wasted getting you to be ready to take back the world, but it looks like we're going to have to-", Cerraton continued.

And with a heavy, sweeping scoop of his horns, knocking Canderack across the road, he finished: "START THE FUCK OVER AGAIN!"

And thus it started. Whilst his shell actually kept him relatively safe, Canderack knew his days were meant to be at an end. He surrendered to his fate...

Until he was pushed past Tiffany, who had come out of hiding, standing between him and his father- giving the raging brute pause. With a growl, he glared down at the miniscule lifeform before him.

"And what's this? Your little human 'friend' shows her face, trying to be a hero? You're more fucking pathetic THAN I THOUGHT!", Cerraton roared, before cruelly knocking Tiffany aside- followed by the shriek of pain that escaped her.

The sound immediately made Canderack's heartbeat speed up.

Then came the rage.

A desire to give back unto those who abused him- it started to burn all around the inside of his being. The only other person that was nice to him... No. He wouldn't let that continue.

Such thoughts gave way to what would make this day fateful- His shell was starting to shed, ever-expanding and stretching, trying to contain him. It would come to no avail however, as it would shatter and reveal that it'd finally happened.

He has finally grown up, and evolved into Scolipede. Another centipoid titan, equipped with his past training for his ability to fight, and the abuse to provide endurance.

And not to forget whatsoever the sheer amount of suppressed emotional distress that would emerge like a cluster bomb as he screeched to the heavens at the top of his lungs, before charging his father with a crazed fury; catching him by surprise.

With surprisingly little effort he had him on the ground, holding his body down with his own weight. Glaring down at his own father, Canderack felt superiority for once. It made him feel good- and powerful. Yet... he who he was pinning down looked up at him with a devilish smirk.

"Exactly what I wanted... A son who would know to take what he wants when he wants it! To hell with that fucking stupid idea about humans being the enemy- It was ALL to make sure you'd not be a pussy like your brother and work for yourself! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S ALL FINALLY PAID OFF!", Cerraton cackled.

... And this only served to confuse Canderack once again. Did his dad actually care about who he would be? To his own detriment, he had never really grown out of his childish mind- not yet.

"Now, get off of me. We'll let you and your little 'human' friend go. Don't think I care any more about keeping you fed, you're already able to take care of yourself now. You hear?", Cerraton continued.

Unsure of what other choices he had, he moved off of his father. He was still confused... What would he do? He remained puzzled as Cerraton got up, and... calmly left with Pandora. Everything he seemed to know was an illusion crafted to fool him. He stared at the ground, lost in thought... until Tiffany put her hand on his side.

"Listen... Thank you. You did good, but I really need to go. If you weren't going to go with those other two Scolipede, then... you ought to go and find out what exactly you want to do with yourself," she said.

Find himself... How would he do that? He couldn't ask her, he couldn't speak. Not that Pokemon could effectively talk to humans anyway. He watched as the girl finally continued on her journey forward. Further and further her form shrank, and she became nothing but a silhouette... and then nothing at all, as she disappeared from sight.

Maybe that's what he had to do? Go on a long journey through the Unova region of self-discovery... His parents raised him to fight, but was that really all he was meant to do? Chances are, the girl would tell the story of how three Scolipede were in broad daylight on the road in Pinwheel, so he really needed to vacate from the forest and find some new place to call home.

Thus, his own journey began. Long would it be, and the events that happened that day had ultimately erased what memory he had of Sinderack. All he knew was the comfort he had when we was around flowers, and he would come to despise his parents once again for what they'd done to him.

His quest would ultimately lead to him wanting to be left alone, to figure things out for himself- but the existence of both wild Pokemon and human Pokemon trainers would make it nigh-impossible. Thus, he would fight. He would fight until all would realize there was no point in chasing him- he'd be impossible to beat, he'd tell himself.

Such was what he had planned... Not that that would be the only thing in store for him. Other "adventures" would await and challenge his troubled mind and soul. For now... He would fight.

His resignation would be to fight- to fight, to the end.


End file.
